In photos: Boeing’s Jumbo turns 50

Ever since the Boeing 747 rolled out of the factor... moreEver since the Boeing 747 rolled out of the factory in Everett, Washington, people have not stopped gawking at the iconic humpbacked aircraft, whose stately lines resemble those of a cruise ship

1/10A Boeing 747 aircraft which serves as Air Force One at the Zurich airport, Switzerland, on 25 January 2018. Boeing went on to sell 1,568 of the aircraft as it was redesigned and updated over the decades. Photo: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

2/10The nose of a Boeing 747-8 cargo plane. The fuselage of the airplane was 225 feet long and the tail was six-stories high. The cargo hold had room for 3,400 pieces of baggage and could be unloaded in seven minutes. Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

3/10The Boeing 747’s twin-aisle design was a novelty when launched but is now a standard in long-haul jets. Photo: Martin Leissl/Bloomberg

4/10Boeing 747-8 cargo planes sit on the production floor during final assembly in Everett, Washington. When launched, the plane’s total wing area is larger than a basketball court, while the entire global navigation system weighed less than a modern laptop. Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

5/10A Cargolux Boeing 747 cargo aircraft. The death of the 747 as a passenger jet has opened up opportunities for cargo carriers keen to snap up used long-range jets at a fraction of their list price. Photo: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

6/10A view of the cockpit inside a Boeing 747 set to be dismantled. As for the retired 747s not lucky enough to be reborn as cargo carriers, the graveyard beckons. Photo: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

7/10Control levers are seen in the cockpit of a Boeing 747 set to be dismantled in the recycling yard of Air Salvage International (ASI) in Kemble, central England. Photo: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

8/10Boeing jumbos has more than doubled, from 442 in 2010 to 890 this year.